Family Movie Night Series - “Father of the Bride” (1991) and “Father of the Bride Part II” (1995)
- Matt Palmer
- Nov 18, 2025
- 5 min read
A couple of weeks ago, I started up my small Diane Keaton review slate with the Oscar winning film “Annie Hall.” And since I’m also working on my second Family Movie Night series at the same time, I wanted to work on a review that would cover both of these series. So, I recently revisited a couple of Diane Keaton movies that the whole family could enjoy - “Father of the Bride” (1991 remake) and its 1995 sequel!
In the 1991 movie “Father of the Bride,” George Banks and his wife, Nina, are the proud parents of Annie. But when she returns from studying abroad and announces that she’s engaged, their whole world turns upside down, especially that of over-protective George.
From meeting the in-laws to wedding plans with an over the top consultant and his assistant, it seems as if the troubles never end in this updated take of the classic Spencer Tracy comedy.
When the 1991 version of “Father of the Bride” was released, the movie ended up being a significant commercial success and was generally warm-received by audiences. The 1991 movie also delivers a great, entertaining blend of heart and humor, and is something that fans of both Steve Martin and Diane Keaton will enjoy.
The humor that’s scattered throughout this remake largely stems from everyday life situations and the universal anxieties surrounding major family milestones like weddings. Steve Martin’s portrayal of the neurotic and over-protective father who’s struggling to let go, is really hilarious, yet also heartwarming during some scenes and is easily one of the many highlights of this movie.
There’s even a moment in the movie where the neurotic George is trying to not think about the wedding and ends up ranting about hot dog and bun packaging in a supermarket, which is actually one of the funniest moments in the movie for Steve Martin. Martin Short’s portrayal of the eccentric, barely-understandable wedding planner easily steals the show (especially once he shared the screen with Martin). Diane Keaton portrays the grounded and supporting mother who’s also trying to navigate the chaos of her daughter’s wedding.
Keaton in this movie can be charming as she showcases her wit and ability to portray the bittersweet emotion of watching a child grow up. The late actress also has more of a central role in the 1995 sequel.
In “Father of the Bride Part II,” just when George has gotten used to his daughter being
married, she announces that she’s pregnant, making him an impending grandfather. Shaken by nearing this new milestone in his life, George soon has to process even more surprising news - his wife, Nina, is also pregnant!
Just like the 1991 movie, “Father of the Bride Part II” delivers another heartwarming family story that has the ability to blend humor with genuine emotion. This 1995 sequel is also a fun, enjoyable comfort movie that can also provide a mood boost and lighthearted entertainment.
This lighthearted sequel also delivers more chaotic, comedic moments, especially when Steve Martin’s character has a little bit of a mid-life crisis that doesn’t really last that long. And, with the movie’s story featuring a mother and daughter who are pregnant at the same time, things do get really hilarious and even touching.
Even though Diane Keaton and Steve Martin had great on-screen chemistry in the first movie, it seems that their chemistry in the sequel is more noticeable since Keaton has more of a central role in the story. There’s a truly hilarious moment in the sequel where George accidentally takes too many sleeping pills and Nina (Keaton) and a few others have to drag him around while his daughter is in labor. And, the moment where we see George Banks (Martin) hold both his grandchild and newborn child is incredibly bittersweet.
The 1991 and 1995 movies primarily targeted a broad, general audience with an emphasis on adults and families. So, if anyone enjoys feel-good, heartwarming family comedies, then make sure to give both of the “Father of the Bride” movies a chance and check them out on Disney Plus!
Among the wedding gifts Annie receives is a Venus de Milo statue with a clock in the stomach. In the original Father of the Bride (1950), Kay also receives this as one of her wedding gifts. Both look at it with disdain.
George's middle name, Stanley, is named after Spencer Tracy's character in the original Father of the Bride (1950).
Actor Eugene Levy appears in both this movie and Father of the Bride Part II (1995), but as different characters in each. He also worked with Steve Martin in Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005).
Martin Short invented his own accent for this movie.
George Banks says that he doesn't want the wedding to bankrupt him so he'll end up wandering the streets in a bathrobe. This happens to Steve Martin's character, Navin Johnson, in The Jerk (1979).
Charles Grodin briefly was considered for the role of George Banks but decided to do Beethoven (1992) instead. Coincidentally Steve Martin was offered Grodin's role in that film but instead decided to make HouseSitter (1992) after this movie finished. Martin and Grodin previously had appeared together in The Lonely Guy (1984), while Sarah Rose Karr, who plays Annie at age 7, played Grodin's daughter in Beethoven's 2nd (1993) as well as the original.
The set used for the interior of the Banks' home had to be rebuilt from scratch for the sequel. With no presumption of a sequel during production of the original movie, the set was destroyed after production completed. Set crew had to recreate the entirety of the set based only on a few remnant sketches of the original set, and had to estimate most measurements, based on the known sizes of various reference items in the original film.
Eugene Levy played the part of the wedding singer at audition in Father of the Bride (1991) and Mr Habib in Father of the Bride 2 (1995).
Although this sequel to Father of the Bride (1991) is not a remake of Father's Little Dividend (1951), (the sequel to the original Father of the Bride (1950)), the opening scenes of the two films, including the narration spoken to camera by the father character, are virtually identical.
The line, "I have a brilliant-beyond-brilliant idea," uttered by George Banks regarding the sale of their house, is also spoken in The Parent Trap (1998) by Hallie, the American twin, regarding the girls' identity switch. Both movies were written in part by Nancy Meyers.
Disney had approached Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer about a sequel to Father of the Bride (1991) as soon as the film became a hit. They had an idea for a sequel based on Father's Little Dividend (1951) which was the sequel to the original Father of the Bride (1950) but Steve Martin wasn't yet ready to do a sequel due to other commitments and felt the first movie wrapped up everything perfectly. However in 1994 Martin appeared in two critical and box office flops A Simple Twist of Fate (1994) and Mixed Nuts (1994) although the former received slightly better critical reviews than the latter, and he approached Myers and Shyer to take up Disney's offer for a sequel in order to have a hopeful commercial success. Although the sequel did not perform as well as the first movie either critically or financially with a $76 million domestic gross ironically it was Steve Martin's first box office hit since the original Father of the Bride which was released four years earlier.
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